Thailand
Khao Yai NP
Khao Yai NP lies in North-Eastern Thailand about 3 hours travel from Bangkok. Due to an average altitude of more than 1000 m, the climate is comparatively cool. The entire almost 2000 km2 large park is densely forested with several open, grassy plains. It protects deer, gibbon monkeys, elefants and even a few tigers amongst other animals. This page focuses on the prolific birdlife, which can be discovered using a network of hiking trails. It is best to avoid weekends and holidays, as the park gets busy then. The following pictures were taken during two short visits in December 2013 and December 2018, they can only give a rough idea, of what can be discovered in this beautiful park.
Just outside the park a large cave system harbours hundreds of thousands of bats, which each day at sunset leave their day roost and form endless swarms.
The hunters, like this buzzard, need to single out a bat and strike in midair.
javan pond heron
serpent eagle
common kingfisher
greater flameback - female
silver-breasted broadbill
oriental pied hornbill
great hornbill
Near the cave exit dozens of raptors gather and try to catch a bat for dinner.
Another raptor, which appears to be a grey-faced buzzard, was successful and flies off to enjoy a meal.
asiatic openbill stork,
a specialized snail eater
red jungle fowl
anchestor of domestic chicken
white-throated kingfisher
greater flameback - male
long-tailed broadbill
oriental pied hornbill
great hornbill
great hornbill - drying wings after a rainshower
writhed hornbill - female left
green-billed malkoha
blue-eared barbet
red-breasted trogon
siamese fireback
black-winged cuckooshrike
ochraceous bulbul
ashy minivet
blue whistling thrush
rosy minivet
white-crested laughing-thrush
hill mynah
writhed hornbill - male feeding his partner
green-eared barbet
moustached barbet
orange-breasted trogon
siamese fireback
ashy drongo
black-crested bulbul
mountain verditer flycatcher
asian fairy bluebird
blue-bearded bee-eater
white-rumped shama
buff-bellied flowerpecker